Officials identify man shot and killed by police near Tacoma Mall

TACOMA, Wash. - Officials have released the name of a 37-year-old man police shot to death near the Tacoma Mall last week.

Michael Mercado, of Ruston, died March 16 outside a residential building close to the west entrance of the mall, The News Tribune reported.

Officers were called about 3:30 p.m. and had a confrontation with Mercado, who was shot multiple times, authorities said.

The Pierce County Force Investigation Team is investigating the police shooting and has not released any details about the incident, including why police were initially called to the area, or how many officers fired their weapons.

It's unclear what led up to the shooting, but a witness video shows the moment shots were fired.

The video starts with an officer back-peddling from a patrol car, a man comes from the front of the vehicle. You can hear in the video, the officer yell a command out before two loud bangs are heard, and the man falls to the ground. 

The officer moves to the sidewalk, and you can hear them say "shots fired, shots fired," and "…one down."

No officers were injured. Police say a handgun was found near Mercado’s body.

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